Where Are the Positive Images of Black Families?

When I was a child growing up in the '60s, I recall Valentine's Day being about more than romantic love. It was not just for couples. Valentine's Day celebrated love in all its forms, including the love of parents for their children, the love of family, and the love which is found in friendships.

As Joan E. Gosier, author of Cotton Pickin' Paycheck, writes in More Black Success Volume 5, where are the positive images of Black families?

Where are the images of normal, healthy Black families with two parents?

This is one of the questions addressed in the film Happily Ever After: A Positive Image of Black Marriage, which was screened by Black History Studies last night in London.

The film contains a series of interviews with couples talking about their experiences of marriage, in which they share the joys as well as the challenges of marriage.

See also: What Is Black Love?

The couples talk about the importance of having the Obamas as role models of a happy, loving and stable couple and family.

One person refers to a 12-year-old boy who has been quoted as saying "Marriage is for white people".

The film makes the point that, if we have never seen something, we are unlikely to aspire to it.

Visualization is so important for our development. If you can see it, you can be it. I talk about this in my book Success Strategies for Black People.

This is why we need to have positive images in Black literature, film, and every art form.

This is also one reason why it is vital for us to learn about Black history. It is vital for us to know about Black achievers, past and present, and about those who have challenged injustice and oppression.

If you have not seen Happily Ever After: A Positive Image of Black Marriage, I urge you to see it.